BioWare took everyone by surprise at E3 with the announcement of a new game in a completely new universe. Say hello to Anthem, a futuristic open-world RPG that looks like the product of a night of passion between Destiny, Titanfall and Star Wars.

After the middling success of Andromeda, BioWare will be looking to knock our socks off with its latest original universe.

The creator of Mass Effect and Dragon Age hasn't released a game without those names (not including The Old Republic) for almost 10 years, so it's a great opportunity for one of the world's most important studios to flex its creative muscles.

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We've gathered all the information we have about Anthem in one place, and will be updating it over the coming months as more details of the project emerge.

It is worth mentioning that we will be playing the VIP demo on Friday (January 25), and will be giving our full thoughts on how it plays, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Anthem release date: When can I play?

BioWare

We are so happy to tell you that you really don't have long to wait to get your hands on this game.

You will be able to buy Anthem from February 22, which is a busy time for gaming with the releases of Crackdown 3, Days Gone and Metro Exodus, but we think playing as giant, flying, fighting robots just sounds too good to pass up.

Anthem will be a multi-platform release, hitting PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Digital Spy has secured the chance to play the game a little earlier, so we will report on our findings when we get them.

Anthem price: Where can I buy it?

While it is still a few months away, you can pre-order the game right now, and there are some pretty good prices too.

Anthem trailer: How's it looking?

In short: gorgeous. From the bustling market in the trailer's opening scenes to the vast vertical wildlands it explores later, Anthem is looking mighty impressive. The game seems to handle sprawling organic environments beautifully, and even chucks in some impressive facial animation to boot (sorry Andromeda).

At least in visual terms, the studio is putting its best foot forward.

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The real-time demo looked so sumptuous that some speculated it was running on a PC. This has since been debunked, with EA confirming to Digital Foundry that the demo was running on an Xbox One X, for which Anthem will be enhanced.

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The trailer above is the VIP demo trailer, which takes place this week (Jan 25-27). The demo will give those who pre-ordered the game a chance to see what they are really getting stuck into.

As you can see, you will be able to pick your Javelin and set out into the world to cause absolute havoc, and we legit cannot wait.

Anthem gameplay: What kind of game is it?

According to a blog post announcing Anthem, "this isn't like any BioWare game you've played before – in fact, it's unlike any game we've ever made at EA."

From the limited peek we've had at the game so far, Anthem is a third-person action RPG in a similar vein to Mass Effect, but with a greater focus on multiplayer 'loot and shoot', a la Destiny.

Players don exosuits called Javelins which lend them superhuman abilities, and then head off into the wilds to blow stuff up with their friends, using guns and other powers.

There's talk within the trailer of difference classes of suit: specifically the Ranger, which is all-purpose, and the Colossus, which is a bruiser. Each suit can be customised and outfitted with a variety of weapons and abilities, and visual styles can also be tinkered with.

The specific trailers and their abilities are broken down in the new video from IGN, above.

The trailer showed us a few abilities on offer: for starters, it appears that all suits can fly. At another point one of the characters lets loose a shot from a mortar, which causes an enormous explosion. The Colossus exosuit also possesses some kind of ground slam attack.

EA

Whether these systems go deep enough to call Anthem a true RPG remains to be seen. BioWare hasn't disclosed the intimate details of the game's mechanics, so it's entirely possible that Anthem is, at heart, an action game where you can customise your loadout and abilities.

Anthem multiplayer: Is BioWare making a Destiny-like game?

The gist from the trailer is that Anthem will be a kind of always-online experience that is best enjoyed with groups of friends. This is an enormous step-change from the Mass Effect and Dragon Age games where single-player was always the top priority.

Players can team up in small groups in order to explore the world and complete quests (you can see a couple dropping in mid-play during the trailer), and it appears that the action will take place outside of a giant walled city, which presumably serves as a kind of hub area.

So yeah, it all sounds pretty darned Destiny so far. But the full shape of the game has yet to be revealed, so we'll have to wait for BioWare to dish deets.

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